Door removal safety system
View Patent ↗The door removal safety system may comprise a lifting strap, a pair of lifting hooks, a neck pad, and a spacer. The door removal safety system may be operable as a tool for removing a door from a vehicle having removable doors. The lifting strap may be adapted to be worn by a user on the user's neck such that the pair of lifting hooks hang down in front of the user. The pair of lifting hooks may be adapted to be placed under the bottom of the door while the user squats. The door removal safety system may be adapted to lift the door as the user stands upright while supporting sides of the door with the user's hands.
1 . A door-removal safety system comprising:
a lifting strap configured to be worn over a neck and shoulders of a user, the lifting strap comprising a left lifting strap segment, a right lifting strap segment, and a neck strap segment joining the left and right lifting strap segments in a generally U-shaped configuration;
a pair of lifting hooks respectively and detachably coupled to distal ends of the left and right lifting strap segments, each lifting hook comprising:
a planar backplate having a plurality of horizontally spaced length-adjustment slots through which the corresponding lifting-strap segment is looped to permit selective vertical repositioning of the lifting hook relative to the strap segment; and,
an upwardly-curved bend formed integrally with a lower edge of the backplate to define a hook trough dimensioned to receive and support a bottom edge flange of a vehicle door having removable hinges; and,
a neck pad positioned along the neck strap segment and configured to cushion contact between the neck strap segment and the neck of the user, the neck strap segment passing slidably through the neck pad; and,
a spacer assembly positioned below the neck pad and above the pair of lifting hooks, the spacer assembly comprising:
a stiffener plate extending laterally between the left and right lifting strap segments to define a fixed separation distance corresponding to the hinge spacing of the vehicle door,
a left strap coupler attached to a left side of the stiffener plate and a right strap coupler attached to a right side of the stiffener plate, each coupler forming an encircling loop that slidably receives the corresponding lifting-strap segment while laterally constraining the segment to prevent crossover or twisting; and,
a plurality of vertically spaced coupler positions on each side of the stiffener plate enabling the spacer assembly to be selectively positioned along the lifting-strap segments to accommodate doors of differing heights; and,
wherein the stiffener plate maintains the separation distance between the left and right lifting strap segments under an asymmetric door load so that the lifting hooks remain aligned beneath opposing corners of the door during lifting;
wherein the cooperative relationship among the stiffener plate, the plurality of adjustment slots in each lifting hook, and the neck pad stabilizes the vertical and lateral orientation of the door throughout removal and reinstallation, preventing roll, tilt, or torsional movement of the door relative to the user; and,
wherein the system is operable by a single user standing upright after squatting to engage the lifting hooks beneath the door, such that upward movement of the lifting strap transfers load through the stiffener plate and neck pad to the user's shoulders, permitting controlled detachment of the door from vehicle hinges without auxiliary lifting equipment.